Delegate Mark Levine: Hysterical jackass with too much power

I know anti-gun politicians. I’ve met them. I’ve spoken to a number of them. Generally speaking, even though we may not agree on Second Amendment issues, a number of them have at least been willing to listen and consider my concerns. I’ve also spoken to a few that deserve a throat punch for the lack of consideration and respect they have for their constituents. Patrick Hope was one of the legislators with whom I enjoyed talking. We spent probably a good half an hour discussing gun rights, gun regulations, and his and my views in his office. I was impressed that he was willing to engage in adult discussion, even with a person with whom he disagreed, and while we didn’t agree on much, I found him to be congenial and kind – even as I sat in his office with a pistol on my hip. The disgraceful, statist hag Barbara Favola refused to even speak to us on the same Richmond Lobby Day. Jim Moran, when he was in office, was less than congenial to anyone who didn’t toe the line on his agenda.

But so far, none have been more abusive, condescending, hysterical, ignorant, and downright rude to gun owners than Delegate Mark Levine. If Levine’s name sounds familiar, it’s because he’s one of the authoritarian, power-abusing, fetid yambags named in the NoVA Armory lawsuit I discussed here a couple of weeks ago.

The suit says that, first, Howell, Favola, Levine, and Hope conspired between one another to destroy Pratte’s business. They are elected officials. They maliciously acted to defame Pratte and destroy the reputation of his business in an effort to prevent it from opening. These elected public officials discussed strategy about how to best do so on social media, and sent a letter to the store’s landlord – on official government stationery – trying to pressure her into abandoning the lease. That’s right. Elected public officials tried to use their official offices and authority to pressure a landlord to sever a relationship with a tenant! Worse yet, they attempted to malign and defame Pratte and his business by claiming that he had opened his business “in order to conduct criminal activities, namely conveyance of firearms to persons ineligible to be in possession thereof and to facilitate violent crime.”

I have to say, I was disgusted and disappointed with Patrick Hope for joining with the rest of these authoritarian goons to destroy a lawful business in Arlington. It certainly didn’t jive with the interactions I’ve had with him. Favola is well known for her dirty tricks and abuse of power when it comes to guns.

And Levine… oh, Levine is a special kind of shitbag. One has only to search his official Facebook (a page on which he has blocked me from commenting, by the way – way to go, you cowardly cow patty!) page to see the kind of disdain his has for those of us who strive to protect our Second Amendment rights. Not only does he understand us, but he maligns us at every opportunity.

Now, to be sure gun rights advocates are in the minority in his district, but they are still constituents, and he still has to be accountable to them – even though he may disagree with them.

But instead, this pernicious cock dripping slanders and vilifies gun owners and Second Amendment advocates at every opportunity, while silencing their voices on his social media page. Nice guy right?

“Seems like every gun nut who writes me meets this description, whether they come from Alaska or Alabama,” Levine claims on his page. “(They never seem to come from Alexandria or Arlington.),” he continues.

Gee, perhaps it’s because he has blocked all of his Alexandria and Arlington constituents from commenting or posting on his social media page!

But let’s put that aside for a moment and make a few notes about Levine’s insulting, disgraceful abuse of gun owners.

Note, Levine uses “gun nut” to ridicule those who attempt to communicate with him about the right to keep and bear arms. Note, he doesn’t use “gun owner” or even “gun rights advocate,” but implies that those who care about their rights have to be mentally ill.

Note, Levine through this laughable graphic implies that gun owners carry pistols because they “trust nobody.” I guarantee you, Levine has never deigned to descend from his narrow-minded tower of arrogance to actually speak to gun owners and ask them why they carry. The US Concealed Carry Association asked that very question a few years ago, and here’s a sampling of replies.

I do it for protection, plain and simple. Yes, I was shot in the back and robbed just over two years ago while carrying, but nevertheless, I believe my chances of surviving an encounter with a criminal are a lot better if I’m carrying than if I’m not.

I carry to protect myself and my family. If a bad guy puts us in a situation where someone is going to be hurt or killed, it needs to be him, not us. Chances are extremely high that I’ll never need to use my guns. I hope I never have to use my fire extinguisher either, but it’s ready and in place in case I do.

Robbed prior to concealed carry passed in Texas, had friend beaten and robbed, I carry for the protection of myself and my family

To protect me and my wife in the ordinary world, which becomes more dangerous every day.

I carry because of my job. I live in MD, and getting a CCP here is an ordeal. My MD license is restricted to when i am on the clock for my employer. However i also have a TN license, and when i am in TN, or those states that honor their license i carry for protection of myself and my family.

I have been carrying concealed for over 35-years. The reason is simple, I care about the safety of my family and myself, and having been Military and later a LEO, I know that armed emergency support is never readily available when needed the most, so it was up to me to provide my family and myself the security that we needed.
I have had four experiences (incidents) that having my firearm with me prevented our being robbed or worse at the hands of those who prey upon our society.
I carry concealed because it is MY RIGHT and MY DUTY…

Fact is for most gun owners, it’s a simple matter of taking responsibility for our safety and the safety of those we love. We understand that police cannot be around every minute of the day to protect us, and as much as I appreciate those who have dedicated their lives to serving and protecting, ultimately responsibility for my security is my own. It’s not an issue of trust. It’s simple reality. If police could protect each and every one of us, none of us would get hurt by armed goblins or any other criminal element.

But Levine seems to think he understands the mind of the average gun owner, even as he shuns any actual substantive interaction with them, and worse yet, he claims to know what a gun owner “expects.” And he apparently refuses to take any responsibility for his own actions as having caused at least some consternation on the part of his interlocutors! After all, when a legislator abuses his authority and sends a letter to the landlord of a legitimate business on official government stationery, trying to pressure said landlord into canceling a lease, said legislator should expect some blowback.

But apparently, Mark Levine thinks it’s perfectly acceptable to abuse and bully the very people to whom he is supposedly accountable, and then vocally denounce those people as “gun nuts” and other choice monikers when they fight back.

It’s nearly amusing to watch Levine backpedal like a demented clown once called out on his bigotry and abuse of gun owners. He meant not from Arlington or Alexandria! He didn’t mean all gun owners! He meant a tiny, but vocal, minority of the gun owner population! Right. Sure he did. He posts an insulting memes, indicating all gun owners are hypocrites. Then he doubles down on the stupid, claiming it’s only the “gun nuts.” Then he triples down on the dumbassery by trying to placate the understandably angry crowd that he really only meant a small percentage of the gun owning population and that no, really, he knows that most gun owners are upstanding and great. It’s just those… gun nuts, says the coward. Did he think that insulting his constituents would win him brownie points?

And then he’s upset that gun owners don’t trust him!

He’s been working hard to infringe on Virginians’ right to keep and bear arms, and he’s upset gun owners don’t trust him!

He has abused his legislative authority in an attempt to run a legitimate business out of town, and he’s upset that gun owners don’t trust him!

If you read the comments on this particular graphic, you will see that a number of them have been deleted, so Levine actually appears to be talking to himself, which should tell you everything you need to know about the character of Mark Levine – an insecure bully who uses government force to abuse the very people to whom he should be accountable, and who apparently does not understand the plain English of the Second Amendment, judging by his ignorant comments.

One of the comments deleted informed Levine that he was dead wrong in his repeated claim that it is legal for lawful citizens to sell guns to criminals in Virginia. He was shown repeatedly that he was wrong with this statute.

Any person who sells, barters, gives or furnishes, or has in his possession or under his control with the intent of selling, bartering, giving or furnishing, any firearm to any person he knows is prohibited from possessing or transporting a firearm pursuant to § 18.2-308.1:1, 18.2-308.1:2, 18.2-308.1:3, 18.2-308.2, subsection B of §18.2-308.2:01, or § 18.2-308.7 shall be guilty of a Class 4 felony. However, this prohibition shall not be applicable when the person convicted of the felony, adjudicated delinquent or acquitted by reason of insanity has (i) been issued a permit pursuant to subsection C of § 18.2-308.2 or been granted relief pursuant to subsection B of § 18.2-308.1:1, or § 18.2-308.1:2 or 18.2-308.1:3 (ii) been pardoned or had his political disabilities removed in accordance with subsection B of § 18.2-308.2 or (iii) obtained a permit to ship, transport, possess or receive firearms pursuant to the laws of the United States.

But somehow, those comments seem to have disappeared as well.

On a final note, this gibbering moron also thinks gun owners somehow expect everyone to trust them, based on his approval of this particular dumb meme.

No, we don’t care if you trust us.

We don’t care if you’re afraid of guns, or of us, or of us carrying guns.

It is a right, and we exercise it responsibly and lawfully. We couldn’t possibly care less about whether or not you and your quivering lipped pals trust us or not.

There’s an important difference between “don’t trust anyone” and “don’t trust a few criminals who might hurt me.” The people who clearly don’t trust anyone are those who can’t stand the idea of their neighbor being armed or claim that if they had a gun they’d probably get mad and shoot someone.

What’s particularly scary is when you stop and think about WHY it’s full of irrational leftists.

Because they work for the government across the river.

And even though the center of the irrational leftist cancer is not even in Virginia, the bleedover is enough to seriously distort the politics of the entire state, rendering it distinctly “purple.” (I’m in Colorado and I feel your pain.)

Rob

Hi, I'm Rob. I used to blog at Northern Virginia Conservative, but Nicki got way more hits anyhow, so I moved over here. My language is somewhat less colorful than hers, but I also get pretty passionate.

I'm a liberty Republican activist, and work in fundraising right now during the day.